Is DeSean Jackson the Philadelphia Eagles most important addition?
Out of all the Philadelphia Eagles acquisitions over the last few months, is DeSean Jackson the most important of all?
Once again, Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles front office did another great job this offseason. Not only did they sign the right free agents that seem to fit the team best — but they also made some notable trades that were of good value. Not to mention, their draft selections ended up gaining some rave reviews although they still remain as question marks for now.
Overall, the Eagles did a stellar job and seem much more fit to compete for a Super Bowl title in 2019 than they were for the 2018 season. Out of all of their newest acquisitions though, who could turn out to be the most important? Will it be somebody who rushes the passer and gets pressure on the quarterback consistently? Or will it be a reliable and proven running back, who is useful in short situations, which is where the Eagles struggled last year?
Perhaps, it’s a wide receiver who is ready to become a contributor for the wide receivers unit now. According to Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier, DeSean Jackson is most likely the most important addition. Not only did Tanier feel like Jackson is the most critical player for the Eagles, but he believes Jackson is the tenth-most important player in the NFL going into 2019 considering certain circumstances. “New faces in new places, youngsters taking on bigger roles, guys returning from injuries,” and so on. That was the criteria for Tanier’s list, which ranks Jackson right at No. 10.
What to expect from DJax
"“There were times last year when the Eagles wide receiver corps consisted of Nelson Agholor (a slot guy), Jordan Matthews (a less effective slot guy) and Kamar Aiken (no idea). Even when Alshon Jeffery returned from injury and Golden Tate (yet another slot guy) arrived via trade, the Eagles offense lacked a credible deep threat, allowing defenders to squat on all of those short passes into the flats.”“Jackson earned rave reviews (per The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia) in his return to Philly this offseason: He looked as fast as ever, and he was reportedly dialed in with Carson Wentz. After leading the NFL in yards per catch (18.9) for the third time in five years in 2018, it’s clear that even at the age of 32, Jackson still has wheels.” “A couple of Jackson bombs are all the talent-laden Eagles need to make another Super Bowl push—and help Wentz justify his new $128 million extension with an MVP-caliber campaign.”"
We seem to mention this a lot because it’s absolutely true and necessary. Carson Wentz has never had a deep threat, quite like DeSean Jackson. In 2016, Wentz’s most prominent deep threat happened to be Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor — both slot receivers who have rarely succeeded going deep throughout their careers.
In 2017, Wentz had Torrey Smith to work with, but Smith struggled to get it going. With a few critical drops and only 36 catches for 430 yards, it was very clear that Smith wasn’t exactly a game-changer for the Eagles as a deep threat.
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DeSean Jackson, on the other hand, is still proving that he’s one of the best there is. Sure, he’s not as young and healthy as he once was, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Jackson still led the NFL in yards-per-catch just a season ago.
The speed is still there. The ‘home run’ factor that he brings is still there. And now, there’s a new veteran leadership factor that Jackson has brought with him as well. Over the last few years, Jackson has made average to bad quarterbacks look pretty good. Now, he gets to play with a young and proven quarterback in Philly, along with a Super Bowl winning head coach. The situation couldn’t be any better for Jackson.